IN THE GARDEN
Gardening jobs for July
1. Deadhead bedding plants and roses to encourage more flowers.
2. Water new plantings and plants showing signs of stress using rainwater collected in a water butt. No need to water your lawn: it will recover when it rains. 3. Take cuttings of tender plants such as Pelargoniums (geraniums) and fuchsias. 4. Collect seeds from annuals such as poppies and cornflowers to sow next year. 5. Sow crops such as beetroot, lettuce, coriander and Florence (bulb) fennel.
to use a hose pipe, repair leaks and aim to water early in the morning for the most benefit. Only water plants with signs of stress – many established plants (including lawns) will go longer without water than newly planted specimens. Gardening in a changing climate can be challenging and we need to adapt our gardens to match the future weather conditions. With careful selection we can add new plants to our gardens that will be more resilient to changes in the weather. While this may mean that traditional herbaceous borders become a thing of the past for many of us, there is still plenty of scope to create beautiful gardens that will thrive in the future. THE HEAT IS ON Pennisetum orientale and Dianthus carthusianorum in the herbaceous beds (left), and The Dry Garden (above)
Sally Petitt is head of horticulture at Cambridge University Botanic Garden
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JULY 2026 81
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